


Skipping Stones

by Katzedecimal



Series: Frenemy Mine [9]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Deaf Character, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, M/M, Season/Series 02, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-08 20:38:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7772482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katzedecimal/pseuds/Katzedecimal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>I did something really stupid.</i>
  <br/>
  <i>"If anything changes in the timeline, only you will know."</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I don't know if any of that still happened.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Skipping Stones

_I did something really stupid._

* * * *

"Have you even heard from Barry since he got back?"

"...No." 

* * * *

_"If anything changes in the timeline, only you will know."_

* * * *

"Was there... anything going on between you two?"

"No. ...Not yet."

"There might have been?"

"....There might have been."

* * * * 

_I had to. I had to find the way to beat Zoom._

* * * * 

"I'll admit, that's unexpected."

"...."

"I mean, I thought he was crushing on Captain Cold!"

* * * * 

_"Maybe we could give it a try? If that's what you want?"_

_Why was I shaking my head?_

* * * *

"You... think maybe he's...?"

".....maybe."

* * * *

_Maybe it's better this way. Zoom killed my dad... Thawne killed my mother... Eddie... Ronnie..._

* * * * 

"That's harsh."

"There's an ASL immersion intensive soon. I'd been hoping we could go..."

"Oh, man...."

"Now I don't even know if he remembers."

* * * * 

_I don't even know if he's the same person. And I'm afraid to even sign to him in case he's not._

* * * *

"....I got an idea."

* * * * 

"Yo Barry."

"Hi Cisco. ...Where did you get **that?** "

"Hartley painted it a while ago. It's the Time Wraith!"

"Yes, I know that, but..." _But Hartley painted that before I even went to Earth Two!_

"I thought I could put it up here as a symbol of all the crap we've dealt with."

"Yes, fine, but..."

"But what? You think it'd look better over here?"

"No, it's fine, Cisco...! It's..." Barry sighed, "Hartley painted that **before** I time-travelled. Long before. We... we went to a Paint Night together, it was a Deaf event."

Cisco nodded patiently, "Yup. You've been kind of avoiding him lately, he was wondering if.. maybe you..."

Barry sagged and looked away, "Time travel creates.. changes in the timeline. I mean, you know that. You're sensitive to them. But I'm the only one who really knows what things have changed. I thought.. I was afraid that Hartley wasn't..."

"'Your Hartley?'" a new voice finished. Barry looked up, paled, then flushed red. Cisco glanced over his shoulder, "Turns out I'm not the only one who's sensitive to the vibrations -- Hartley is, too."

"I have dreams. It started with the particle accelerator explosion." He sat down beside Barry and sighed, "Firestorm died. You and I became friends and you took sign language lessons with me. And sometimes, we help each other get to sleep." Barry's mouth fell open and he turned beet red. "Not like that," Hartley chuckled lightly, "Although I am open to the possibilities."

Cisco threw up his hands, "O-KAY little too much information there!"

"Get your heteronormativity offa my lawn!" Hartley shot back, grinning. He looked back at Barry, "Cisco and I signed up for this immersion intensive together and... I'd really, really like it if you'd come along."

Barry stared at him in disbelief. "Yeah, I... so would I.... I'd like that..."

Hartley glanced up at Cisco and skootched a little closer to Barry. Then he glanced up at Cisco again. Cisco looked at him quizzically. Hartley glared pointedly and Cisco mouthed 'Oh!' "Um, I've gotta go and... and.... do stuff that I'm... sure I'll figure out along the way okay bye." Barry pinched the bridge of his nose, laughing, as Hartley shook his head. 

"When I first met you, when we were fighting, you had me by the throat and then you just sort of stared at me. You said I have beautiful eyes. I thought you were going to kiss me," Hartley said very quietly, "Then you dropped me and turned away and you said something about I wasn't 'your Hartley.' Were we...?"

"No," Barry said too fast, "No, we weren't."

"But...?" Hartley watched Barry's mouth work soundlessly for several moments, then nodded his head, "Ah, it's like that. It's alright, I've been there. Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere."

Barry didn't know what to say to that. "But... you.... You're..."

"Relieved," Hartley sighed. He stretched and pushed his hands through his hair. "You've been one of the best friends I've ever had. You were the first person to accept me and accept that I'm deaf now and helped **me** to accept that I'm deaf now. And I just loved the time we spent together, I had so much fun and enjoyed your company so much. And then we went to that Paint Night," he looked away, blinking hard though no tears fell. "You were all I talked about, Cisco used to wish I'd shut up about you. And when you came back, you didn't contact me, you didn't Glide me or sign to me at all, I thought..."

"I didn't know if any of that still happened," Barry whispered.

"You should have asked," Hartley scolded teasingly, "I worked on the Time Wraith, I get this stuff. All you had to do was ask me or sign to me and then you'd know."

Barry covered his face with his hands for a few moments. "I'm sorry," he said when he looked up again, "You know what they say about me, 'fast feet, not fast brains.'"

"Oh really," Hartley purred. Barry blushed without having any idea why. Hartley laughed. "Barry," he whispered, "Would you mind if I took that kiss now?"

Barry swallowed. "Yes... I mean, no! I mean, no, I don't mind, I..." And then he didn't have to talk anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> LA LA LA LA Just skipping past all that awkward stuff that's playing havoc with my muses LA LA LA LA nothing to see here just moving along LA LA LA LA


End file.
